From A+ to C….
In school days, all of them try hard to get good grades in exams. So, there were term-end and semester exams. Most of them didn’t care about test papers but some of them would try hard to get good marks and get teachers’ attention or become their favorite students.
When the exam nears, there would be a question-asking ceremony, girls (not all, but overall, 90%) would study hard and try to answer every question and some of them ended up getting beaten by the teacher. When it comes to boys, some of them would answer and some don’t.
I remember a piece of memory from my 6th or 7th grade. At that point, I was obsessed with Hindi serials like Iss Pyaar ko Kya Naam Dhun, Diya Aur Bathi Hum, Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlatha Yeh…I would watch every episode every day like starting from 7.00pm till 9.00pm in the father’s brother’s room (it was built separately and had a bed, television and fan). So, he would come back to home at night at 9.00 clock. Gradually, I didn’t complete or studied or covered any portions of the subjects. So, my mother was watching my routine and my moves and maybe would think daily about how she can confront me because I was little, a short temper at that time. After finishing school, I came home, and would eat some snacks. When the clock hit 6.30 pm, I would go to my uncle’s house. I don’t know when a fight (verbal fight) occurred (between us) I think at the end of the grade because my marks were low or something like that. She grounded me and allowed me only to watch “Iss pyar ko kya naam dhun” at my home not in my uncle’s home. I agreed. I had this fire or rage that I can score good marks in all subjects and I would show to mother how good I was. So, I studied and watched serial.
The revision was going on the school. After the lunch break, there was a history period, where the teacher asks questions and if you don’t answer you would beat with a stick 2 times on your hand. At first, all the girls answered the question and some of the boys also did. Only 2 or 3 girls didn’t answer (1 was me), I was beaten with a long stick in the left hand for 2 times. I didn’t cry, I was bearing the pain and put some green medicine on it. You know, tried to act cool by rubbing my hands on my skirt. My friend H who was sitting near me took my hand and started to stroke it. I was like,” It’s okay, I am cool, but it’s kind sting like a bee.”
The same goes for the next day, I didn’t answer the question…the same process happened. I didn’t tell my mother.
After those 2 beatings, I got a feeling like “Oh, it was tough yaar to bear the pain, and also like a shame, all of them answered, only very few didn’t. The next day onwards, I studied hard literally that I created my own questions and wrote them on sides of the textbook. The next day, the teacher bought my textbook for reference, saw my scribblings of questions and I was happy that she asked my scribbled question to us. Obviously, I answered, and you know that other few girls who were beaten were also answered. And the majority of girls weren’t. And they received the punishment, and I was super happy and proud. After that, I studied all the chapters, notes and answered every question, sometimes she didn’t ask me questions, which gave me chills, I would think,”Wow, I got special treatment and also attention from her.”And I enjoyed that moment.
We or maybe I cared about grades till plus two (high school). Always try to maintain your grades. A+, A, B — good and sometimes it will go to C also. If it goes C, D & E, then there will be some sadness, mixed emotions, rage or anger could rise in the home regarding the performance. For me, it was silent treatment, and it would make a guilty feeling, making me realize that it was not good enough and my parents especially my mother was not happy about it. So, I would say to her,”I would try to take better marks next time.” But it doesn’t work.
Another fun fact was that I got a full mark in biology in 5th grade, and I was the only one to get that and proudly showed it to my mother and didn’t get a big response from her, maybe she smiled but didn’t praise me.
After you enter college, you opt for BTech, BA or BCom. After some months, I realized that I had to pass the exam without any arrears and with good marks, didn’t want to do any improvement exam (but actually, did it for 2 papers). In these 3 years, I got all grades from A+ to C. So, it was scored like this- for core subjects — score good marks, when it comes to credit low papers or electives or language — good marks, not bad like D or C, but tried to score a minimum of B to A and of course, I have to pass. Still, I got 2 C’s, I think.
So, I realized after my college days, while viewing mark sheet or results that I got scored D or C grade which I didn’t get in school and will be sad for a few minutes but will be happy with the other subject's grades and the final GPA also good. But exceptional students were also there, who would score A+, A continuously for all semesters in college and also got into first or second rank which makes me wonder, how do they get? I saw them hanging out with friends and going on trips with family. While I was studying daily for about 2 hours starting from 7.30 to 9.30 pm. Still, I got only a B grade in first two semesters and for them, it was A grade like 85 or 84. I still ponder on the fact.
When I look back on all these memories, they brought a smile to my face. You know, to get beaten by the teachers and fight with my mother, my tantrums...and sometimes I would think that getting good marks or bad marks, it’s not a great point. It was about how to reach your goal or maybe getting a good company with a good package...If you have the skill and ability and had not have great grades, still you can land in a good company. And it can happen otherwise also. Maybe can’t predict how it works and goes by brainstorming. It maybe leads to some assumed conclusions, so work hard and don’t expect in results. Yeah, it sounds so tough and unfair, but be patient and continue to work until you reach your goal. Try to enjoy the small moments.
